As enterprise security shifts heavily toward cloud workloads and artificial intelligence infrastructure, securing endpoints close to the underlying operating system has become a primary engineering objective. Following Cisco’s strategic acquisition of Isovalent—the pioneers behind eBPF and Cilium—the tech leader is expanding its core software agent division.
If you are a systems programmer specializing in low-level operating system internals, exploring high-impact openings through cisco careers offers a direct path into building cross-platform endpoint security at massive scale.
About Cisco Isovalent: Next-Gen Cloud & Endpoint Security
Cisco Isovalent operates at the forefront of modern cloud-native security, network visibility, and runtime protection.
- Isovalent Legacy: Founded by the creators of eBPF and Cilium, Isovalent transformed how containerized workloads and cloud networks communicate and secure themselves.
- Cross-Platform Expansion: As part of Cisco, the team is bringing eBPF-inspired visibility and deep system monitoring directly into Windows environments alongside established Linux capabilities.
- 100% Remote-First Team: This role offers complete location flexibility, allowing qualified engineers across all 50 U.S. states to contribute to core security agents from anywhere.
Quick Job Overview
| Job Metric | Details |
| Company | Cisco Systems (Cisco Isovalent) |
| Requisition ID | 2023799 |
| Role Title | Senior Software Engineer (Endpoint Security Agent) |
| Work Location | 100% Remote (51 U.S. Locations / All States) |
| Category | Product and Engineering |
| Salary Range | $167,700 – $245,200 (Up to $282,000 in select metro areas) |
| Application Deadline | November 29, 2026 |
Core Responsibilities & Engineering Scope
In this systems-level role, you will focus on developing high-performance, lightweight runtime security features for Windows endpoints while collaborating on Linux cross-platform capabilities.
- Systems-Level Development: Design and implement runtime security, file monitoring, and network visibility features using Go, C, and C++.
- Windows Platform APIs: Utilize low-level Windows interfaces including Win32 APIs, File I/O, Winsock, and API hooking concepts.
- Kernel & User-Mode Interaction: Investigate OS behavior, multi-threaded process executions, and interactions between user-mode applications and kernel-mode drivers.
- Performance Optimization: Analyze and optimize software agents to ensure minimal CPU/memory footprint on host systems during continuous monitoring.
- Cross-Platform Alignment: Work alongside Linux agent engineers to maintain consistent security policies across hybrid cloud environments.
Insider Guide: How to Ace the Cisco Isovalent Engineering Interview
💡Securing a senior systems position at Cisco requires showing deep operating system fluency, hands-on troubleshooting capability, and clean multi-threaded design patterns:
- Master Windows Internals & Low-Level APIs
Be prepared to dive deep into OS fundamentals during technical rounds. Interviewers will test your understanding of thread synchronization, process memory management, File I/O, Winsock, and how user-mode agents interface safely with kernel space.
- Demonstrate Systems Programming Discipline
Because security agents run continuously on production machines, resource efficiency is critical. Highlight your experience in profiling memory usage, resolving deadlocks, preventing memory leaks in C/C++, and optimizing Go applications.
- Emphasize Security & Monitoring Concepts
Be ready to discuss endpoint detection and response (EDR) mechanisms, API hooking techniques, system call interception, and how runtime security monitors malicious activity without degrading host performance.
Candidate Qualifications & Technical Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of software development experience (or Master’s degree with 4+ years).
- Languages: Strong systems programming experience in C or C++, including multi-threaded and multi-process application design.
- OS Fundamentals: 2+ years of experience with core OS concepts (threads, processes, IPC, networking, file systems).
- Windows Systems Programming: Proven hands-on comfort with Win32 APIs, File I/O, Winsock, or API hooking.
Preferred / Added Advantage:
- Understanding of Windows kernel concepts, driver development, or low-level internals.
- Background in cybersecurity, malware detection, or endpoint protection technologies.
- Experience writing production code in Go alongside C/C++.
Compensation & Benefits Summary
- Base Pay: $167,700 to $245,200 annually (Standard US), with adjustments up to $282,000 in higher cost-of-living metro markets (e.g., NYC Metro).
- Incentives & Equity: Eligible for annual performance bonuses and Cisco Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) grants.
- Time Off: Flexible vacation program for exempt employees, 10 paid corporate holidays, year-end shutdown, birthday day off, and 80 hours of annual sick leave.
- Comprehensive Health: Full medical, dental, vision coverage, matched 401(k), and paid parental leave.